Pardon my drool....

Why am I drooling? Because like Claire, I'm thinking of....


these donuts. Made with left-over mashed potatoes, they are the lightest, fluffiest, yummiest, cardinal high-calorie sin you will have the pleasure of committing.
(see recipe below)


I'm also drooling over this 70-300mm wonder lens a (very kind) friend let me borrow.








Totally off the topic of drool, Elise did a very fine job presenting the book, "Go Free or Die," to her class. It is about Harriet Tubman. Elise loved the book and Harriet's bravery.


One last thing, I've been drooling over the whimsical graphics in this fun game. Click on the picture to play it! It's very addicting. You can rationalize the hours you spend playing it by saying that it probably helps a little with your typing skills.


I'm always drooling over the designer of the whimsical graphics in this fun game.
He's just so gosh darn handsome.


Lightest Doughnuts (as in texture, not low-calorie--sorry)

2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm milk
1 cup cold mashed potatoes
1-1/2 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cooking oil for deep-fat frying

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add potatoes, 1/2 cup sugar, oil, salt, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and eggs; mix well. Add enough of the flour to form a soft dough. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; roll out on a floured surface to 1/2 in thinkcness. Cut with a 3 in. doughnut cutter to 1/2 in thickness. (I used a glass cup and the opening of a small glass bottle to cut out the doughnut shapes) cover and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 min. Meanwhile, combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar; set aside. Heat oil in an electric skillet or deepfat fryer to 350 degrees; fry doughnets until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels; roll in cinnamon and sugar while still warm.
Then plan on going to the gym everyday for the rest of the week. Oh! but they're worth it.

ThankFUL

I did it all this year. Turkey and gravy, sweet potatoes topped with a rich pecan crumble, real creamy mashed potatoes, orange-cranberry jello salad, yummy spinach and pomegranate salad with Eve's special homemade vinaigrette, brussel sprouts, cornbread stuffing and probably everyone's favorite-
heavenly rolls. (see recipe below)

We had a nice, cozy Thanksgiving this year. It has been so busy lately, we felt that this would be best. We did have a few special guests with us:

Uncle Mark, the reader of books and the kids' personal jungle gym.


And Jeremy's nephew, Ryan, player of the piano and master of the light-saber and force.



I meant to take more pictures, but I was so busy in the kitchen in the morning and too affected by the turkey, etc. in the afternoon.

Lately Jeremy and I have been researching our family history on FamilySearch.org
We have been so fascinated to learn about where all our ancestors came from. We both have family from Scotland, Germany, France, Denmark, England and we each can trace one of our lines all the way back to Mark Anthony. (Julius Caesar's son-in-law) Crazy!

Jeremy actually has an ancestor that come across on THE Mayflower. Richard Warren. Of the 41 signers of the Mayflower compact, only 19 survived that fist winter. Richard was one of them. He had seven children, who all went on to have large families.

After reading about all the difficulties those early pilgrims faced, I am so thankful to be living when and where I am.

I also felt this way, when reading about some of the other difficulties our ancestors faced: Tyrannical rulers, plauges, religious persecution, famines, many children dying too early, women dying in child birth....

We live in such a glorious time and in such a blessed place. Sometimes I wonder how it is that I am so fortunate. I am grateful for my ancestors and everything they sacrificed. Perhaps they didn't realize it was a sacrifice at the time. I'm sure many were just everyday mothers and fathers trying to raise a family and make a living.

Yet, when I consider what some endured it strengthens my resolve-
to work harder, to love more, to live more fully,

and with more gratitude.


Heavenly Rolls
(I double the recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas. When doubling, I only use 3 eggs)

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1-1/2 cups warm water, divided
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs (brought to room temp)
2 teaspoons salt
8-1/2 to 9 cups all purpose flour (Lehi Roller Mills Turkey Red is best)
Melted butter

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 2 tablespoons of sugar in 1/2 cup of water. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the milk, butter ad remaining water to 110 degrees (or for about 1 min 30 sec or warm to touch and butter is very soft); add to yeast mixture. Add eggs, salt, 5 cups flour and the remaining sugar; beat until smooth. Add enough of the remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled. Shape into rolls or knots or whatever shape you want. Place rolls 1-2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 min. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min. or until golden brown. Let cool slightly and brush tops with melted butter.
Yield: about 3 dozen.

Candy + Apples = Delicious

What do you do with a bag of apples that your neighbor gives you?

Make yourself a treat!

This recipe is from my mom. Happily, it is super easy to make.

First, you peel, core and cut up the apples. (I do about 12 apples at a time)

Next, you put the cut up apples in a large pot with 1/2 cup to 1 cup of water.

*Here comes our favorite part!*

Dump in 2 cups of red-hot candies.

Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 min.

No scented candle can compare to the lovely aroma this concoction emits. It's soooo good.

Carefully scoop the soft, hot apples and juice into a blender. Blend a few scoopfuls at a time and pour sauce into clean, glass pint jars.

If you are using self-sealing lids, you don not need to pressurize the jars as the heat from the sauce will set the seal.

Viola! This is a very special autumn treat. YUM!

A few of my favorite things...

Last Sunday, Jeremy's niece, Lindsey and her husband, Brandon, and their sweet boys came into town to see Brandon's family and to bless their little baby, Luke. It was so good to see them. They are good, good people. I'm getting use to being a great-aunt.

Seeing that little baby and holding him, even just for a little bit, reminded me of everything I love about little babies. I love their soft, soft skin. I love their sweet baby's breath. I love their bright eyes and sleepy eyes. I love the way they conform to your body when you are holding them. I love their fuzzy hair; Their wrinkled ankles and wrists. I don't even mind changing their diapers for the first 6 mo.

Ahhh.....the memories. Thanks Lindsey, Brandon, Kurt and Luke for letting us share that special experience with you.

And to make it even more special, their family fed us a really terrific dinner. I strong armed the recipe from Brandon's dad and was happily surprised with how easy it was to make. It doesn't get much better than 4 ingredients, right?

I wish I had a picture to tempt you with, but I know that the simplicity of this meal will be enough to entice you to try it. Trust me, it was DELICIOUS!

Chicken Apple Dinner

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/3 to 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce (I used 1/2 cup)
2 or 3 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
12 slices of Monterey Jack cheese (or swiss if you like)

(I also added some sliced sweet onion, because I loooove onions. And I added in some day old French bread slices on top with the the cheese, because I had it. It tasted good without these too)

Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Pour W sauce evenly over chicken. Place sliced apples on top of chicken. Cover pan with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 min. or until juice run clear. Remove foil and place cheese on top of chicken and apples. Return to oven for about 5 min or until cheese is nicely melted. Sooooooo yummy and easy! Now one of our family's favorites!

Things I Delight In

We really enjoyed conference this weekend. Sister Tanner's talk on "Delighting in the Lord" really touched me.

I delight in the messages given.

I appreciated Sheldon F. Child's reminder to pay tithing. Especially the part about being able to pay off our debts if we are faithful in our tithes.

I learned from Elder Oaks' talk on testimony and Elder Christofferson's talk on being born again.

I thought President Eyring was inspired when he spoke of improvements he saw being made in the church.

I agreed with Elder Holland when he spoke of seeing the prophetic mantel settle on President Monson. I also loved his message about the scriptures.

Elder Bednar taught me when he said that the missionaries are the teachers and we are the finders; that we shouldn't be praying for the missionaries to do our work.

I want to be set apart from the crowd, like Elder Neunschwander taught.

I was impressed with Elder Wickman's journey back to Vietnam.

I made sure my husband and children were listening to Elder Ballard's talk.

President Monson made us smile again and again. It was so special to be able to participate in the sollemn assembly and sustain him as our new prophet and president of our church.

I delight in the mess.
Because my children were quiet and busy while we watched conference both Saturday and Sunday. This is what our living room looked like this weekend as we listened:
I delight in the food eaten.
This was a yummy dinner we enjoyed on Sunday:

Sort-of Thai Peanut Chicken and Rice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1 onion diced
1/4 cup oil
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
salt, cayenne pepper

Sauce
1 (15 oz) can of coconut milk
1/2 cup of peanut butter
1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
dash of cayenne pepper and salt
1/3 cup sugar
a couple of hand fulls of cilantro leaves.

cook the chicken with the oil, spices and garlic in the skillet until golden. Then add onion. Mix sauce ingredients in a separate bowl. Once onion in skillet is transparent, add sauce and simmer on low heat for 20 min. stirring occasionally.

This goes great with jasmine rice. Top with fresh cilantro.

Mom's Fluffy Lemon Cake

One box lemon cake mix
One 15oz can lemon pie filling
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
3/4 cup water

Mix cake ingredients together well. Bake in grease (bottom only) 9 x13 pan at 325 degrees for about 30 mins. or until golden. Once cake has cooled top with fluffy topping:

one 4oz box lemon pudding (prepared with 1 cup milk--it should be very thick)
Blend in one small carton of whipped topping.
Enjoy!

Chocolate Angel Food Cake ala Raspberry Fudge

Because Cocoa asked so nicely, here is the recipe for the yummy birthday cake. Also, because class is never dismissed at our house, we tied in a lesson about chain reactions as we made this cake this week. It was probably one of our yummiest lessons. :D

Chocolate Angel Food Cake

12 egg whites
1 c. cake flour
1/3 c. cocoa
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract

After separating into a large bowl, let egg whites stand for one hour. In a separate bowl, sift together 4 times: flour, 3/4 c. sugar, and cocoa. Set aside the remaining 3/4 c. sugar. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add salt to egg whites and beat with mixer until frothy, the add cream of tartar. Beat till mixture forms rounded peaks (about 5-8 min.). Add remaining sugar to egg mixture 2 Tbls. at a time while mixing. Mix in almond and vanilla extracts. Fold sifted mixture in 4 Tbls. at a time until all is mixed thoroughly. Slide batter into a lightly sprayed tube pan and cut through to break air bubbles. Bake at 35o for 40-45 min. Cool upside-down.

Raspberry Fudge
3 cups chocolate chips
2 Tbls. Butter
1/3 cup Torrani Raspberry syrup (I used sugar-free)
raspberries, if you have them. I did not use them this time.

Melt chocolate chips and butter in microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir and put in a little longer if not all melted. Be careful not to burn it! Stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Add Raspberry syrup and stir until blended.

Spread half of fudge on half of cake. Top with fresh raspberries. Spread the rest on top. And top with fresh raspberries.

Here's a bit of our lesson. Egg whites contain chains called albumin. Whisking whips air bubbles into the egg white. The albumin traps the bubbles, making a foam. When you bake it with the other ingredients, it makes a light fluffy cake, full of air trapped by albumin.

This poorly taken picture is from Usbornes's 100 Science Experiments. It does a good job of illustrating the process.